Friday, October 30, 2015

9:15 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At least on the issue of immigration reform, newly minted House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, says that President Obama is untrustworthy.

Shortly after becoming speaker on Thursday, Ryan said he wouldn’t bring immigration-related legislation to the House floor while Obama remains in office. Today, he explained his rationale in his first meeting as speaker with Wisconsin media via conference call.

It would be “ridiculous” to move on the issue when “a president that we can’t trust” is in office, Ryan said.

Additionally, Republicans are too divided on the matter to press ahead, he said. With such a “controversial issue” the Republican Conference “needs consensus to proceed,” Ryan said, repeating his pledge to abide by the so-called Hastert Rule when it comes to immigration legislation.

The Hastert Rule, named for now-disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., prevents legislation from coming to the floor if a majority of Republicans do not support it.

Republicans “need better balance on the issue” before being asked to vote on any comprehensive legislation overhauling the nation’s immigrations laws, he said.

Asked to reconcile his harsh words for Obama with his pleas for cooperation issued Thursday from the speaker’s chair after becoming the country’s 54th speaker of the House, Ryan said he will work with the White House when he can.

“I believe we have an obligation to look for common ground where we can find it,” Ryan said. However, he’s allowed to engage in “spirited” criticism where he believes warranted.

“I can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Ryan said.

He pointed to his support of fast track trade authority for the president and his 2013 budget compromise forged with then-Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., as examples of him finding common ground with Democrats.

But just as he’s obligated to look for points of agreement, he’s obligated to say what he would do differently too, Ryan said.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

10:48 AM

Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan today called on Dems and Republicans to restore "regular order" to the chamber.

That means, Ryan said, letting committees retake the lead on drafting all major legislation and recognizing the importance of letting all members share in the process.

"I am not interested in laying blame," Ryan said before taking the oath. "We are not settling scores. We're wiping the slate clean."

Ryan took the speaker's position at the head of the chamber to a lengthy round of applause that included at least one call of "Go Packers." After U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., introduced him, Ryan thanked family, friends and outgoing Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. The Janesville Republican took the gavel and said it was at that moment that he truly understood the "weight of responsibility, the gravity of the moment."

Ryan, the first speaker from Wisconsin, asked Republicans to pray for Dems and vice versa, "And I don't mean pray for a conversion."

He said the House is where people can make a difference, and, Ryan said, he means all people.

"A neglected minority will gum up the works," he said. "A respected minority will work in good faith."

That, Ryan said, is how to fix a "broken" House. Right now, he said, people in the country are working harder than ever and still falling further behind. And when they look to Washington, all they see is "chaos."

"At this point," Ryan said, "nothing could be more inspiring than a job well done."

That will require facing tough issues such as health care and debt, he said. It also will require understanding there is nothing to fear from "honest differences honestly stated," he said.

Ryan closed his first speech as speaker by saying the House has done him a great honor, and the people of America have done all members the honor of representation.

9:50 AM

The U.S. House of Representatives today elected Janesville Republican Paul Ryan speaker, making him the first Wisconsinite to hold the post.

Ryan received 236 votes, 18 more than the 218 he needed to win a majority. Dem Nancy Pelosi received 184 votes, while Republican Daniel Webster had nine. Two other members each received a vote, as did Colin Powell.

9:04 AM

Rep. Paul Ryan's presumed ascendancy to the speakership has come full circle for GOP members of the Wisconsin delegation.

Within minutes of Speaker John Boehner's decision to relinquish the speaker's chair, many in the House GOP Conference, and especially within the Badger State's delegation, wanted to see the Janesville Republican swap his Ways and Means gavel for the speaker's. But Ryan's quick tamping down of the "draft Ryan" movement turned most to instead back his choice, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.

What a difference a couple of weeks makes.

All four of Ryan's GOP home-state House colleagues will vote for Ryan during Thursday's floor vote.

"At this pivotal moment, we need a leader with the fortitude to withstand the governing challenges ahead, the discipline to remain firm against overwhelming pressure, and the statesmanship to work seamlessly with all members--both within the caucus and across the aisle," stated the delegation's dean, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Menomonee Falls. "Congressman Paul Ryan is a true conservative leader who exemplifies what it means to be a dedicated public servant, continually working toward serious solutions to the problems we face as a nation."

Rep. Sean Duffy of Weston, who is a House gym buddy of Ryan's, is helping Ryan rally the 218 votes he needs to become speaker.

"Paul's ability to touch people's hearts with his ideas and the ideas of our conference is why he would be great in this role," Duffy told WisPolitics.com. "We need a great speaker of the House who has great Wisconsin values [and], by the way, who can set a vision for where we need to take the country. Paul's the guy who can set visions."

The White House has stayed out of the GOP turmoil, often saying that endorsements from Democrats would only hurt the intended candidate. Nonetheless, it is clear that President Obama would rather see Ryan succeed Boehner than any of the other remaining candidates.

Throughout talks about the budget and debt ceiling, White House spokesmen refer to the deal Ryan struck in 2013 with then-Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., as the modern gold standard for budgetary bipartisanship.

"The good news is there's a template for succeeding in this endeavor," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday about a potential two-year budget deal. "After the last government shutdown, engineered by Republicans, Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill did engage in a process that was led by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray to find bipartisan common ground that would ensure that we're making necessary investments in our economic and national security priorities. And we're hopeful that Democrats and Republicans will pursue a similar template to reaching a budget agreement this time."

7:52 AM

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan announced today he will support the budget agreement reached by GOP leaders with the White House though he also declared, “We simply can’t keep doing business this way.”

Ryan, who is in line to become House speaker, slammed the closed-door negotiations that produced the two-year agreement, telling reporters yesterday the process “stinks.”

In this morning’s announcement, the Janesville Republican promised a different approach if he’s elected speaker. Still, Ryan said his vote was determined by whether there was a better alternative. He said the deal will strengthen safety net programs, “allow us to return to regular order in our budget process” and fund the needs of troops.

"What I’ve heard from members over the last two weeks is a desire to wipe the slate clean, put in place a process that builds trust, and start focusing on big ideas,” Ryan said. “What has been produced will go a long way toward relieving the uncertainty hanging over us, and that’s why I intend to support it. It’s time for us to turn the page on the last few years and get to work on a bold agenda that we can take to the American people."

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

9:24 AM

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan today slammed the closed-door talks that led to a budget deal between the White House and GOP leaders.

Ryan, who is expected to become speaker later this week, told reporters this morning he is reserving judgment on the deal itself because he hadn't seen it yet. But the Janesville Republican did not hold back on the private discussions.

"I think this process stinks," Ryan said. "This is not the way to do the peoples’ business, and under new management, we are not going to do the people’s business this way."

Ryan added while Congress is up against a deadline, "As a conference, we should have been meeting months ago to discuss these things and have a unified strategy going forward."

According to national media reports, the two-year budget deal would lift the debt ceiling until early 2017 while boosting defense and domestic spending.

Monday, October 26, 2015

8:46 AM

U.S. Paul Ryan has asked David Hoppe, a veteran Hill aide, to serve as his chief of staff if he's elected speaker this week.

Hoppe, now a lobbyist, has known Ryan, R-Janesville, since 1991, when both were working as congressional staffers. The Baraboo native also was chief of staff for the late Rep. Jack Kemp, Ryan's mentor.

In making the announcement, Ryan played up Hoppe's conservative credentials, which include a stint with the Heritage Foundation. Ryan's ability to work with the most conservative members of the GOP conference will be closely watched if he takes over the chamber's top spot.

"Dave has been a foot soldier in the conservative movement, and he is a good friend," Ryan said. "His decades of experience fighting for the cause and his passionate commitment to conservative principles are just what I'm looking for to create a new kind of speakership."

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

8:13 PM

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan told his GOP colleagues tonight he is prepared to run for speaker, but only if he is a unifying figure for the conference.

Ryan, R-Janesville, attached several other conditions on a possible run and gave his colleagues until Friday to get back to him.

Those conditions include updating House rules, which has been a major sticking point for the House Freedom Caucus. Still, Ryan said those changes need to be made as a team and the fixes would have to include ensuring Republicans are not facing constant leadership challenges.

Ryan also said he told his colleagues he will not give up time with his young family, meaning he would likely not be on the road fundraising as much as past speakers. He also acknowledged his concerns over how his decision may impact his children.

"But my greatest worry is the consequence of not stepping up. Of some day having my own kids ask me, when the stakes were so high, 'Why didn't you do all you could? Why didn't you stand and fight for my future when you had the chance?'" Ryan said. "None of us wants to hear that question. And none of us should ever have to."

Monday, October 12, 2015

10:07 AM

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson left no doubt he is in Paul Ryan's corner as the U.S. rep weighs mounting pressure to run for speaker of the House.

Johnson, R-Oshkosh, speaking at a WisPolitics.com luncheon Friday at the Madison Club, said Ryan is the perfect candidate to "herd a couple hundred cats" in the House. Ryan, despite his repeated refusals, has been the front-runner for the speaker position since U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., withdrew his name from consideration Thursday.

"One of the things that is tough for Paul is: Does he really want that miserable job, that thankless job?" Johnson said, adding he sent a text to Ryan that amounted to "you're in my prayers."

Calling Ryan a man of integrity and honesty, Johnson said the Janesville Republican would be the perfect person to unite the House GOP.

"This nation, with the enormous challenges it faces today is hungry for leadership," Johnson said. "And so I think it's a real tribute to Paul that in the hour of the House's need, and quite honestly America's need ... a nation is turning their eyes to Paul."

But Johnson said House Republicans need to give Ryan time to make the decision and make sure they are ready for him if he chooses to accept a nomination. That means being prepared to accept him as the leader and stand behind his decisions, even if that means taking tough votes when he needs them to, Johnson said.

Ryan, to an extent, would be giving up his policymaking role as chair of Ways and Means to take on a job that would send him around the country to work with members in their districts, Johnson said.

"I think Paul is the person who can definitely bridge that divide, but I do hope he is pretty demanding," he said. "If he decides to do this, from my standpoint, this is a political sacrifice on his part, from what he really wants to do."

Johnson today also discussed his own campaign and what is shaping up to be a heated battle with Russ Feingold. While polls are not giving Johnson great news now, he said he doesn't worry about them.

"By the way, the polls, completely meaningless," he said. "Anybody not think this is going to be just a razor-thin margin? It's going to be a close race. It just is."

Saying Feingold has said plenty about him, Johnson chose to take the gloves off and slam his challenger. He called Feingold a "career politician" who wants only to serve his ego and who is willing to violate the principles he once stood for just so he can get back into office.

Johnson repeated what he has said in the past, that he is a reluctant candidate. And, he said, he certainly has no interest in what will be an 18-month campaign.

"I'd rather do my job and tell the truth," he said. "But Sen. Feingold, on the other hand, just is so addicted, I mean, so covets getting back in there."

Johnson also fielded several questions on various topics:

* He said he is not ready to endorse a Republican presidential candidate. He first said he has "spoken to all of them" but later adjusted that to "a lot of them." He said if he does endorse, it will be based on "a preponderance of agreement on the issues."

* Unlike Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker, Johnson supports the Export-Import Bank and voted for its reauthorization. GE blamed the reauthorization failure for the company's decision to pull jobs out of Wisconsin. Johnson said the ideal would be getting governments out of the business of doing financing but acknowledged most other countries have the banks and "you can't unilaterally disarm."

He said he thinks reauthorization still could happen.

"There's a fair amount of pressure. But I can't predict the House, particularly at this point in time," Johnson said.

* Regarding ISIS and the civil war in Syria, Johnson repeated he thinks the U.S. has to actively stabilize the country and defeat the organization.

"It will need boots on the ground," he said, "but it should be a coalition. And the model I would throw out there is the first Gulf War."

* Johnson took a question about whether he supports increasing the retirement age for Social Security. He didn't answer the question directly, but said the system is "a legal Ponzi scheme" and needs a solution.

He said during the next 30 years, the system will pay out $14 trillion more than it takes in through the payroll tax. Increasing the retirement age from 67 to 70 over four years, he said, would save about $1 trillion.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

1:00 PM

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan says he will not be a candidate for speaker now that the Republican he endorsed for the post has dropped out of the race.

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., abruptly dropped out of the race following criticism that remarks he made about the House’s Benghazi hearings backed Dem complaints they were politically motivated to embarrass Hillary Clinton.

Ryan this afternoon took to Twitter, where he issued a statement saying McCarthy was the best person to lead the House and he was disappointed in the decision.

“Now it is important that we, as a conference, take time to deliberate and seek new candidates for the speakership,” Ryan said. “While I am grateful for the encouragement I’ve received, I will not be a candidate. I continue to believe I can best serve the country and this conference as chairman of the Way and Means Committee.”

9:32 AM

Jim Doyle is one of 14 former guvs who signed onto a letter urging their fellow Dems to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, arguing it will promote sustainable growth and high-paying jobs through new export opportunities.

The 14, which includes Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, argued the deal will also establish "strong and enforceable rules of engagement that will level the playing field for American workers."

"Trade is a critical component of our strengthening economy since the Great Recession, and the more we export outside our borders, the more jobs we support here at home," they wrote. "With export-supported jobs paying up to 18 percent higher on average, trade-related growth in communities across the country is creating jobs and raising wages."

The letter was put together by the Progressive Coalition for American Jobs and distributed by the White House.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

8:42 AM

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind struck a different tone on the trade deal announced Monday than two other Dems in Wisconsin's congressional delegation.

After years of talks, negotiators from the 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership said in Atlanta today they've agreed to what would be the largest free-trade deal ever. Many Dems in Congress have been skeptical of the TPP, although Kind chairs the New Democrat Coalition, whose members have generally been more open to a trade deal.

The La Crosse Dem said the pact "will set the trading rules for this region and 40 percent of the global economy," which would help "level the playing field for American workers, farmers and businesses."

"In the coming months, I look forward to joining my colleagues in reviewing the final agreement," Kind said. "As we review, I believe we need to do so in the context of the status quo. Without a high standard TPP, the U.S. will face a Pacific region that could have no trading rules or possibly China's rules. In order for our economy to continue to grow, the United States must be at the table setting the rules for 21st century trade."

President Obama has to make the full text of the deal available for at least 60 days before Congress can approve it.

But U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, both Madison-area Dems, called for Obama to release the full text of the deal right away, with Baldwin saying the deal was "hatched in secret behind closed doors."

"Any deal that does not help level the playing field for the American worker will not have my support - from currency manipulation to state-owned enterprises to labor standards, American workers shouldn't be put at a disadvantage by unfair trade deals that rig the game against our Made in America economy," Baldwin said.

Pocan said it's "imperative Congress rigorously reviews this deal to ensure the American people are not being taken for a ride yet again."

A vote on the deal in Congress is expected sometime next year. In June, Congress approved fast-track Trade Promotion Authority that ensures the vote on the deal will be an up-or-down vote, with no amendments possible.

Key supporters of the fast-track TPA included U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. Ryan said the White House "must clearly explain the benefits of this agreement and what it will mean for American families."

"A successful Trans-Pacific Partnership would mean greater American influence in the world and more good jobs at home," Ryan said. "But only a good agreement--and one that meets congressional guidelines in the newly enacted Trade Promotion Authority--will be able to pass the House. I am reserving judgment until I am able to review the final text and consult with my colleagues and my constituents."

Monday, October 5, 2015

11:12 AM

The country needs a "thoughtful discussion" on gun laws that avoids politics and focuses on the causes of mass shootings such as the one in Oregon Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said.

The Oshkosh Republican was responding to questions at Madison-Kipp Corp. on Madison's east side Friday during the kickoff of his tour of companies in recognition of Wisconsin Manufacturing Month. Those questions focused on the shooting at Umpqua Community College that left nine people dead.

But Johnson told reporters any solution proposed to curb gun violence needs to show how it would have prevented the shootings.

"So I'm not just all for hopping on some particular solution just because, 'Well, we've got to do something,'" Johnson said. "Well, we have to make sure that whatever we do actually fixes the problem without depriving Americans of their constitutional and basic rights."

He said reviewing gun laws, the process for background checks and what some say is a loophole in the gun show law is worthwhile as long as it leads to gun violence prevention rather than just more bureaucracy.

He said lawmakers debated the topic after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. But Dems, he said, blocked an amendment that would have strengthened enforcement of gun laws and dealt with concerns about straw purchases.

The two sides, Johnson said, need to find common ground when seeking a solution.

"There are plenty of things that Republicans and, I think, Democrats could have agreed on if we would concentrate on what we agree on, the things that unite us, rather than things that exploit our divisions," he said.

There is a point President Barack Obama made that Johnson said he shares.

Johnson also offered his ideas on Syrian refugees, including prioritizing those with family in the U.S. and using DNA testing to confirm the relations.

"We could do that actually very quickly," he said. "Those family members could be made to be responsible financially for the refugees coming in so the American taxpayers, their support is going to be minimal.

"So there's a way of doing this smartly, and that's what we have to do."

Johnson made it clear he does not think Obama has used a smart approach in Syria or the rest of the hotspots in the Middle East. Saying the president made a "historic blunder" by not leaving a stabilizing force in Iraq, the senator said the U.S. now needs to build a coalition to establish no-fly zones and safe havens for refugees in that country.

"President Obama has a strategy in the world, particularly in the Middle East," Johnson said. "It's called peace through withdrawal, and it's been a miserable failure. So you have to achieve peace through strength."